Shehbaz inaugurates kidney and liver institute

Government launches first phase of the project which is a 100-bed facility

LAHORE: On December 25, every year ceremonies are organised and floral wreaths are laid at the mausoleums of the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal, but this year it is a unique moment that the Punjab government has given the gift of a hospital to the public according to the vision of the Quaid, said Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

He was talking to the media after officially inaugurating the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) and Research Centre on Monday.

The first phase of the hospital has been made operational where the deserving patients would be treated totally free-of-charge while the rich would have to pay and this was the vision of the Quaid, he added.



The chief minister said that the Punjab government has written a new history by setting up this institution with its own resources and it would bridge the gap between the poor and the rich. He added that around Rs20 billion were spent for the 100-bed facility.

Shehbaz said that the Quaid-e-Azam had made a separate country where everyone is provided justice and equal opportunities in education and healthcare. “Every citizen has equal rights without any discrimination of colour, creed and race, however, 70 years have passed but this dream has not been materialised as yet because we have forgotten the great sacrifices of our forefathers.”

He said that Punjab government has developed PKLI from its own resources and hepatitis filter clinics are attached to it which is treating patients in different districts. In the beginning of the next year, such filter clinics will be functional in all the districts of the province and the poor patients coming from anywhere in the country will be treated free of cost. “I salute those who have quit their jobs in the foreign countries just to join the PKLI and serve the deserving people,” he said. He said that serving the ailing humanity was a noble job and added that he would continue to do so. He said that it is the duty of every segment of life to play their role in nation-building because Pakistan can be made a great state by following the golden principles of honesty, hard work and trust.



Shehbaz said that the Punjab government has provided resources worth billions of rupees for this project. The minister said that they aim to make it the centre of excellence in healthcare, which will provide high-quality clinical services. The construction of the hospital is divided into three phases, with its first phase comprising of 100 beds was inaugurated on Monday.

The centre will eventually be the facility with 800 beds (extendable to 1,500 beds), a 100- bed emergency centre, a 100-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a 100-bed outpatient dialysis facility, 500-bed in-patient facility, 20 operating rooms and 10 same-day surgery suites etc.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2017.